All These Things That I've Done
by Whenrabbitsattack2-0
Summary: Marshall is confused when Cake calls him at one in the morning, saying that Fionna's been missing since yesterday afternoon! He thinks the adventuress can handle herself, but a disturbing blood trail in the dark and scary forest makes him start doubting his assumptions... [WARNING: contains sensitive material, violence, sexual themes and coarse language]
1. Chapter 1

Darkness.  
Cold.  
Fear.  
Pain. Oh gob, so much pain. She ran frantically, trying to get as far away as possible from the source of her terror. Crying out, she fell heavily to the ground as she tripped over an unknown object. It was so pitch black that she could barely see her lower body, not that she would've been able to see anything anyway through the tears streaming down her face. Slowly, she brought her legs around and tweaked her foot, wincing as the motion added a whole new stab of pain to the hurt already wracking her body. She collapsed, giving up and sobbing hopelessly. How could this happen to her?

* * *

Marshall-lee froze, his fingers stiffening on his bass guitar as he finally noticed a tinny ringing noise sounding throughout his house. It was like, one am. Who would be calling him right now? Carefully setting down his bass and flicking the switch on his amp, he drifted over to the kitchen bench and picked up his mobile, answering it curiously.  
'Uh, Hey.. Marshall.'  
'Oh thank Glob. Marshall, it's Cake. I need your help.' Marshall-lee frowned, running his fingers through his hair.  
' With what? Kitty, it's pretty early in the morning, shouldn't you and Fi be asleep?'  
' That's just it,I have no idea where Fionna is. She went out earlier, and I haven't seen her since! I've been looking for almost three hours and I still haven't found her!' Cake sounded really panicky, and Marshall could hear a slight interference in the static.  
' But what do ya need me for? She'll be fine, It's Fionna we're talking about. She's pretty much indestructible.'  
' Marshall, please! I haven't been able to get Gumball, and I can't search all of Aaa by myself!'  
' Okay, fine. Where are you?'  
' I'm in the east woods, over by-'  
' That's all I need Kitty-cat, see you in a few.' Marshall ended the call and dropped his phone back on the bench, sighing heavily. This was so pointless. Wherever Fionna had ended up, she'd be fine. The girl had bigger biceps than he did.

A few minutes later, Marshall-lee coasted into the dark and scary woods. He sniffed the breeze a couple of times, trying to pick up the cat's scent, and wrinkled his nose as he caught her familiar whiff on the wind. She reeked of fear. He drifted between the trees easily, following her trail until he spotted the calico cat carving deep notches into the side of an old oak tree.  
' Woah, Cakers. What did that tree ever do to you?' Cake jumped at the sound of his voice and spun around, heaving a sigh of relief when she spotted the vampire.  
'Jeez, Marshall! You're so globbin' quiet! And I scratch things when I get all stressed up, okay? So y'all better watch out.' Marshall-lee shrugged lazily. Cake couldn't hurt him.  
'So Bunny's missing, eh? What's got you so worried this time? She can handle herself, Cakey.' Cake shook her head at him frantically, digging her claws into the fabric of his shirt.  
' She left hours ago, and she said she'd be back before bedtime, and when she wasn't I tried to call her and she didn't pick up. She always picks up her phone, Marshall!' The vampire raised an eyebrow, extricating Cake's claws from his shirt.  
' So she missed a phone call. That's hardly a death sentence, Kitty. What was she doing while she was out?'  
' Gumball dropped by for her help with something, and she wouldn't tell me what. I called him too, but he didn't pick up either.' At this information, Marshall-lee narrowed his eyes. That sounded a little dodge. Both Gummy and Fionna ignoring Cake? Fionna was a ditz sometimes so that was understandable, but not Gumbutt. A thought flashed through his mind and he grimaced, annoyed with himself for even considering it. But...

' Uh, Cake? How old is Fionna now?' Cake looked confused, and scratched her whiskers thoughtfully.  
' Um, she's fifteen, sixteen in two months... But I don't see how-' Marshall-lee shushed her.  
' Cake, have you considered that they might have been- um, busy? It's a little suspicious don't you think?' Cake looked at him for a few moments, eyebrows furrowed in confusion, before suddenly coming into line with his suspicions and gasping.  
' Marshall-lee! How could you even think that!? Fionna wouldn't, for starters, and even if she had, she still would've come home!'  
' Unless they're still at it.' Cake's jaw dropped and she stared at Marshall-lee in horror. Marshall was actually slightly surprised at himself at how nonchalantly he had given that particular comment. The idea of Gumball and Fionna together was not one he liked at all. The idea of him and Fionna though... That was a very, very attractive idea. Marshall-lee blinked himself back to reality and glanced cynically at Cake, who was still glaring at him in open-mouthed disgust.  
' C'mon Kitty. There's a chance.'  
' Not if I can help it! Marshall, you keep looking for her in here, I'm going to the Candy palace.' Cake said, turning away from him and stalking out of the trees, cracking her knuckles as she went.

' Wait C-... Dammit. Who ever said Fionna was even here?' Marshall-lee sighed in annoyance, before continuing to drift through the forest. As he ventured deeper, occasionally sniffing the breeze for traces of Fionna's scent, He mused on what he would do If Fionna actually was with Gumball. It did seem quite unlikely. Who knows if Fionna even knew about any of that stuff? Besides, Marshall had always kind of thought that when Flame Prince didn't work out, Fionna might've finally taken a second look at him. Instead of annoying, prissy, Mr. Always-needed-saving Gumball. Gob, Fionna had kept him in the friendzone since forever. He didn't really mind that much, but Fionna made him laugh. She interested him, and entertained him. Not to mention that she was pretty damn gorgeous. Girl was fit. She'd come around eventually. Or at least, that was the attitude he'd hold on to until he got news of the wedding.

He sniffed the wind casually, having forgotten to as he was considering the adventuress in his head. Suddenly, he stiffened slightly, and inhaled again, this time concentrating on the various notes held within the burst of air. That smelt like blood. Not nearby, but not too far either. And that wasn't animal blood either.  
' Fionna?' He called uncertainly, starting to follow the scent with a certain air of apprehension. It was still too far away for him to tell whether it was Fionna or not, but a sinking feeling in his gut told him that he probably ought to pick up the pace.  
' Fionna, are you hurt? Can you hear me? C'mon, talk to me baby.' There was no reply, and Marshall continued to edge closer to the source of the worrying smell. Maybe Cake had been right. Gob, how could he have been so careless? Fionna wasn't immortal, she could get hurt. It was just his own laziness talking. He wanted to believe that she was fine just because he didn't want to have to do anything.

He inhaled deeply, and froze. There was absolutely no room for error. He had never been wrong about something like this. That was Fionna's smell. That was her blood. She smelt like..._ pain_.  
'Fionna!?' Marshall-lee called out desperately, streaking towards the scent, letting his nose guide him. He could see through the blackness, but just to be sure, he morphed into a bat and began echo-locating the various objects around him, swooping back and forth between the tree trunks as he chased her trail. He called again and sensed a small disturbance in the mostly uniform forest floor, a lump of sorts. He flipped over, morphing back into a vampire, And squinted into the darkness for a moment before the demon in him took over. He could see perfectly in the night.  
That wasn't Fionna.

Marshall-lee drifted over to the deer carcass, feeling himself blush at his mistake. He sniffed the air again and was confused to find that he could still smell Fionna all over this area, her unique scent and her blood. Maybe he was just jumping to conclusions because the blood from the deer corpse was so fresh. But he had never been wrong before. He knew Fionna like the back of his hand, her shape, her feel, her smell. The only aspect of her he hadn't had the privilege of experiencing was her taste. How could he be wrong?  
Marshall-lee sighed, running a hand through his hair in frustration. It was late, he couldn't be bothered with this. He was bound to make a mistake at least once. He reasoned with himself as he left the forest, trying to convince himself that of course Fionna was fine, and that she was probably with Gumball after all. Cake would call him in the morning and tell him that everything was fine, right?  
Right?


	2. Chapter 2

Argh, crap. Why wasn't he calling for her anymore? Why would he leave her like this? She painfully dug her fingers into the ground and dragged herself over to a tree, pulling herself up on the gnarled bark. She tried to put some weight on her injured leg, and grimaced at the spasm of pain that shot up her ankle. Reaching up, she grasped an old, dried-up limb of the tree and put her weight onto it, hearing a reassuring crack after a couple of seconds. She tugged on the branch until in snapped off, then propped herself up with it, taking the weight off of her injured ankle.  
' M-Marshall?' She called out weakly, but received no reply. Gritting her teeth, She started to hobble towards where she had heard his voice, wincing at the stabs of pain from her ankle and her midsection. She'd be able to find him, or he would find her. Then this nightmare would be over.

* * *

Marshall-lee sat on the edge of his bed, contemplating his alarm clock. It was almost five am. He was running nocturnal at the moment, and considering he had gotten up at around 3 pm yesterday and had spent half the night running around looking for Fionna, he was considering turning in. But Cake should've called him to say that she had found Fionna by now. Actually, she should've called him several hours ago if Fionna had been with Gumbutt. So then Fi must still be missing. However, he didn't want to consider that option, because if it was true, then that might've actually been her scent he picked up in the woods. She could be in there right now, bleeding, alone and scared. And it would be his fault for not finding her earlier.  
Gobdammit, he had to go back.

'Cake, it's Marshall. Have you found Fionna yet? 'Cause I'm still looking. Call me when you get this, my phone's on.' Marshall-lee slid the phone back into his pocket and streaked into the dark and scary woods. It was globbin' winter too. Longer night-time hours which was good, But it also meant that if Fionna really had been in here all night, then she could bloody well be dead.  
' Fionna? Bunny, if you can hear me, please say something!' Marshall-lee sniffed at the wind and again found a faint trace of Fionna's smell. He followed it, more carefully this time, and quickly wound up at the deer carcass again. But instead of stopping, he dutifully ignored the strong smells emanating from the body and searched again for Fionna's scent. He soon discovered a trail that passed behind the deer, continuing on into the woods. Fionna was definitely in here. How could he have been so stupid? ' Fionna? Fionna!' He continued to call her name desperately, before passing by a tree and smelling the strongest concentration of her scent yet. He looked over the ground carefully and found a few small spots of her blood, in the dirt and on the trunk of the tree. But they weren't fresh, she hadn't been here for hours now. If she was really badly hurt, she can't have gone far though. He picked up the fresher trail and continued to chase her, calling out every so often.

' M-Marshall-lee?' Marshall pricked his ears up. That was her.  
' Fionna? Where are you baby, call for me!'  
' Marshall!' Her voice was faint, but he could make out which direction it was coming from. He dodged between the trees, heading directly for the pitiful sound.  
' Keep calling baby, c'mon!'  
' Marshall-lee! Please...' He squeezed between a gap in two closely planted trees and finally laid eyes on the human girl, curled up underneath the root of an imposing old willow on the bank of a river. He was by her side in an instant, gently sliding his arms underneath her knees and around her shoulders and pulling her out from the overhang. Fionna shivered violently, and Marshall saw that her backpack, which would've contained her yellow sweater, was noticeably absent. Now that just wrapped this whole disturbing image up with a nice tight bow. Fionna never went anywhere without her backpack.  
Somebody had done this to her.

' Oh My G- Fionna, what the hell happened to you?' Fionna only curled up tighter, shaking her head. Her teeth were chattering so badly Marshall-lee doubted she would be understandable if she tried to talk. Prioritize, Marshall. First, you need to get her warm. Then you need to make her safe. How only came after that.  
Fionna mewled in protest as Marshall-lee set her back down on the ground and stripped off his own hoodie and shirt. Damn, it was cold. If it was bad enough to bother him, then Fionna must be nearly hypothermic. He reached for her shirt and started to pull it up, But Fionna screamed and cringed away from him, attempting to scrabble backwards across the ground. Bewildered and worried by her reaction, Marshall-lee slowly coaxed her back over, crooning to her soothingly.  
' Fionna, I need to warm you up. Skin-to-skin contact is the fastest way. Nothing's gonna hurt you, I need to get you warm.' Fionna glared at him suspiciously, and resolutely refused his numerous attempts to take off her clothing.  
' C'mon, Fionna! If you get too cold, you'll die!' Marshall-lee grabbed her shirt, tugging on it roughly, and Fionna screamed again, twisting away from him and kicking out powerfully, a piece of her shirt tearing off into Marshall's hands. They both stared at it in shock. Marshall-lee looked up at Fionna and saw that she seemed just as surprised by the intensity of her reaction as he was.  
' Okay, just... Look, just come here, I'll take you home.' Fionna glared at him distrustfully. The look in her eyes tore straight through the vampire, creating an aching pang that was physically unbearable. She didn't want him to pick her up and take her home. She just plain didn't want him to touch her. Marshall-lee winced at her expression as he pulled back on his shirt , not bothering with the buttons. What did he do?  
Gently, careful not to jostle what looked like a badly sprained ankle, Marshall-lee picked Fionna up, draping his hoodie over the top of her and cradling her to his chest. Speed was most important now. If she wouldn't let him warm her up, then he needed to get her home and out of the remained rigid in his arms as he began to glide between the trees.  
' Fionna seriously, relax. You'll just make yourself worse. It's only me.'  
' It was only him, too.' Fionna replied, so faintly that Marshall barely made out what she had said. Only who? And what had this nameless bastard done to his Bunny?

They had almost exited the forest when Marshall-lee heard his phone ring in his back pocket. Globbin' finally, Cake!  
' Fionna, sweetheart, can you get that, it's in the back pocket of my jeans. I need to tell Cake I've found you.' Fionna roused herself from the semi-trance she had put herself in and patted the back of Marshall-lee's jeans until she found the pocket with his phone, pulling it out and holding it up to his ear.  
' Marshall-lee, I haven't found-'  
' I have, Cake, she's with me now-' Fionna fumbled with the phone and Marshall-lee deftly caught it with the hand that was holding her shoulder. He clicked the phone onto speaker, and soothed Fionna, who was once again struggling, the tightness of his grip on her having crossed an undefined line that had never existed previously.  
' Can I speak to her? Fionna honey, can you hear me?' Cake crackled frantically out of the receiver. Fionna blinked at the phone, then squeaked out a mumbled reply. Marshall-lee glanced at her worriedly.  
' Cake, I think she's in shock. I don't know what happened to her, but I'm bringing her home right now. I'll see you soon.' Marshall-lee ended the call and whispered a constant stream of reassuring nothings to Fionna, trying to distract her from the obvious discomfort she had at being so close to him. The feeling of her recoiling from his grasp only worsened the betrayal that was pulsing within his chest, a constant dull ache that increased every time she cringed when he held her tighter. Why didn't this comfort her? She had been, cold, alone and probably scared out of her mind, wouldn't a pair of open arms be the best thing in the world?  
What the hell had happened to make her like this?

As soon as Marshall-lee entered the treehouse, sliding in through a partially open window, Fionna struggled away from him, landing heavily on the floor. She breathed in quick, frightened pants, gazing up at the disoriented vampire with wide eyes. After a moment, she tried to stand up to get to her room, but immediately crumpled, letting out a soft cry of pain. Marshall-lee was back beside her in an instant, carefully avoiding contact. He didn't want to make either of them feel more unhappy than they already did.  
' Fionna, where does it hurt?' Fionna squeezed her eyes shut and bit her lip, before gesturing with trembling fingers to her left ankle.  
' I'm going to take off your sock so I can look at it. And can you please stay still, or you'll just hurt yourself even more.' Fionna gave a small squeak, in acquiescence or protest he wasn't sure. Regardless, he gently pulled Fionna's sock off and probed the swollen flesh around her ankle, Fionna wincing slightly no matter how immobile he held her leg.  
' You've definitely messed up something, Bunny blue. Let me take you to your bedroom, then I promise I'll leave you alone, okay?' Fionna's eyebrows furrowed and she shook her head slightly.  
' I- I don't want you to go.'

Marshall-lee raised an eyebrow at her as he picked her up again, feeling her tense as soon as their bodies connected.  
' Well, then why do you freeze up every time I touch you? Seriously Fionna, it's just me. I've never hurt you- at least not badly- before, so why would I start now?' Fionna remained silent as Marshall-lee carried her into her room and placed her on the bed, drawing back as soon as he could. He didn't know why it bothered her so much, but he wasn't about to cause her pain for the sake of his ego. You could call him narcissistic, but not sadistic.  
' I.. I don't know. I'm not mad at you, and I know you won't hurt me but it just... it just feels wrong and scary and I don't know why!' Fionna wrapped her arms around her knees, and Marshall-lee suddenly realized she was still in the soiled, freezing clothes he had found her in.  
' Look, just forget it for now Fi, you need to get out of those clothes or you'll get sick.' Fionna hesitated then nodded, gesturing for Marshall-lee to go and open her wardrobe. The vampire tossed her a pair of her fluffy red pajamas and then gathered up some spare blankets that were lying on the floor of the wardrobe.  
As Fionna changed behind him, Marshall considered the worrying implications of her words. It felt wrong and scary for him to touch her? Even platonically? That brought up scenarios that he had never thought possible in a place like this, much less that it would happen to someone he knew. I mean, there was a friggin' Kingdom made of candy. Shit like that would not- actually, could not happen. Bloody hell, he should really stop jumping to conclusions. They only made things worse.

' Okay, I- I'm dressed.' Marshall-lee promptly threw the blankets he was holding over Fionna, who adjusted them so that she could sit up on the bed, wrapped like a burrito. Marshall-lee floated indecisively next to the bed for a few moments, before gingerly sitting down the edge of the bed and pulling Fionna's blanket's tighter around her.  
' Cake should be back soon.' Marshall-lee offered, before they lapsed into a tense silence that was so loaded it would only take the most meager spark to set it off. He picked up the pile of wet clothing she had left at the end of the bed and was about to throw it off into a corner but stopped as he caught a flash of something red on Fionna's skirt. There was blood spotted all over it. As he looked at the clothing more carefully, he realized that her underwear was noticeably absent. What the-  
' Okay, _Fuck_ this. Fionna, what happened to you? Why the fuck are you acting so weird? Baby, who was he, and _what did he do to you?_'

Marshall-lee unleashed the question he had been struggling with with such conviction that Fionna could do little more than blink at him for a few moments. She began to cry, hiccuping and pulling anxiously at the blankets that were wrapped around her.  
' I... I don't know, I just- It was like I was under a spell or something, then I just- And he... He was on top of me and it hurt, it hurt all through my stomach.. And I tried to run away, and he just kept screaming " I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to.' Fionna was obviously upset with reliving what had happened to her, but Marshall-lee remained silent. She had to tell him, or there was no way he could fix it. Or get revenge on the asshole who had completely set their relationship back like, several weeks worth of being a nice guy, not to mention done something completely unspeakable to his girl. Fionna wasn't an easy girl to get through to, in more ways then one, but something had happened last night that had completely broken her trust.  
' It h-hurt so much, and I could barely walk, b-but I was afraid he'd catch up so I ran but it just hurt like hell... And I thought I could hide in the f-forest but then I realized I didn't have my b-bag so I just kept running, then I tripped on s-something and hurt my ankle...' Fionna paused for a few moments, breathing in and out at a measured, forced pace as she tried to calm herself down. Marshall-lee itched to wipe away the tears that were streaming down her face but knew that this would probably do more harm then good.  
' I.. I don't know how long... I was like that but then I heard you calling for me, so I broke off a branch and tried to find you, but I couldn't. You weren't calling anymore. Then I just got too cold and my leg and my tummy, I... I just gave up and crawled under the willow tree. Then you found me and brought me home. I should've said this ages ago, but thank you, Marshall-lee. Thank you for finding me.'


	3. Chapter 3

Giving a mental middle finger to his inhibitions, Marshall-lee reached out for Fionna but stopped when he heard the front door open and slam shut. He quickly leaned back as a panicky ball of fluff shot into the room and rammed into Fionna, all worried, relieved limbs and fur. Cake looped her front legs around Fionna multiple times and rubbed her face against Fionna's cheek.  
' Oh. My. Grob, Fionna. I have been literally worried sick about you!' Fionna accepted her embrace without protest or fear, a fact that Marshall-lee found hard not to notice. But it didn't bother him that much. Judging by what Fionna had said, whoever had attacked her had been male, and as she didn't remember exactly what had happened, she probably had some sort of psychological junk that made her dislike guys. Just his luck.

' Hey Cake, we should probably let Fionna get some sleep. She's had a long night.' Marshall-lee said clearly, looking at Cake meaningfully. Cake quickly caught on and gave Fionna one last squeeze. Fionna appeared reluctant to be let go by the cat, a fact that only hurt Marshall's already wounded pride even more. Eventually, Cake got her into a comfortable position and she and Marshall-lee both left the room as Fionna settled down to sleep.  
' Okay Mar-mar, what was she like when you found her?' Marshall barely noticed the hated nickname, struggling with too many intense emotions at once to even care.  
' She was alone, she's been bleeding, she didn't have her bag or her underwear and she thinks she was cursed or something by whoever it was that did this to her.' Cake appeared greatly confused by the summary she had just received.  
' So.. wait, what?'  
' Look, you're not gonna like what I'm about to say, but you have to admit that everything, plus the way she's reacting to me points to it. I think-'  
' What- how's she been reacting to you?'  
' Frightened. Edgy. Like I'm gonna snap and tear her to pieces at any moment. I never would, but it was a guy who did this, she kept saying he.' Marshall-lee paused for a moment and looked at Cake, resolving that the conclusion he had reached was the only possible one.  
He had to tell her.  
' Cake, I think she was raped.'

The cat was rendered speechless, in a manner that satisfied Marshall-lee that she realised the full weight of the accusation. Shock, anger, fear, despair, empathy, so many complex emotions for her to process all at once. Marshall knew exactly how she felt.  
' Bu... But... Who? Who would...' She said, almost to herself after a while. Marshall-lee had an idea of who, but given that this was nothing more than an idea- he had no proof, plus he didn't exactly get on with the guy, just accusing him outright would make him look bad- He decided not to tell her.  
' I don't know. But I will find out. When Fionna wakes up, if I'm not back, tell her I'll find him, and I'll make him pay.' He uttered ominously, before speeding out the window and disappearing in a swirl of snowflakes. The storm was so thick that you could barely tell it was day time.  
Cake watched him vanish, still nowhere near over the shock of what he had told her. Her darling baby girl... How could that happen to her? Cake walked into Fionna's bedroom and curled up by her feet. Fionna was sleeping now, the corners of her mouth turned down in a small frown. If Marshall was right, glob forbid...  
Oh,_ Fionna. _

Marshall-lee snuck in quietly through one of the windows, wincing as the old hinges creaked when he shut it. However, all was quiet so he assumed that no-one had heard him enter. He drifted invisibly through the corridors, taking care to avoid the waitstaff as he searched for his target. He didn't know what he'd do if he was right. First, he wanted to know exactly how it had happened. Then the punishment- because there was going to be punishment, even if he had been forced to- Could be decided from that.  
But could Gumball really do a thing like this?

Marshall-lee mused on this as he continued to search the Candy Palace for the prince, checking every room thoroughly. The guy was a bit of a biological mystery. He was made of bubblegum for grob's sake. But he had been the last person to see Fionna before she had been assaulted, plus there really wasn't anyone else who could have done it. Well, there probably was, but his instincts- which he had learned to trust all the more- told him he was headed in the right direction, as much as he disliked it. Sure, he didn't get on with Gumball, but he hardly thought the man was the kind to do something like this.

Marshall-lee suddenly spotted a door that had a bright yellow band of light streaming out underneath it. He floated forward and silently opened the door, taking care not to move it too quickly. Inside, there was a large circular laboratory, which had a bench in the middle bisecting the room and various cupboards and machines placed seemingly at random around the walls. The room was empty, so Marshall-lee made himself visible and shut the door. There was an operating theatre-type table on one side of the room, which had a bright spotlight shining down onto it and a medical cart next to it.  
There was also a stain of something that appeared disturbingly like blood on the table. Marshall-lee drifted over to the table, stopping about a foot away and narrowing his eyes. Even from here, it was obvious.  
Fionna's blood.  
_Gumball. _

That bastard. How the fuck could he have done this to a girl who had been nothing but a benefit for him? Marshall-lee whipped around and saw Prince Gumball step into the lab, holding a flask of translucent purplish fluid. As their eyes met, Gumball stiffened sharply and dropped the flask. Within seconds, Marshall-lee had grabbed the prince by his collar and rammed him into the wall, a snarl building in his chest and ripping out between his bared fangs.  
' Gumball, you better start talking right now before I tear out your fucking throat.' Gumball cowered away from the vampires wrath, covering his face with his hands. He mumbled something unintelligible and Marshall-lee growled at him, causing the prince to whimper, tears welling up in his violet eyes.  
' Oh, you think this is bad? _After what you did to her!?_'  
' I didn't mean to! I didn't mean to, I swear! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt her!' Gumball screamed, tears flowing in earnest down his terrified face. Marshall-lee shook the prince roughly until he had mostly shut up, still mumbling the same phrase over and over again.  
' Explain, Gumball. Or I will kill you, and I will enjoy it.' He meant it too. This guy was a spineless asshole, much worse of a person than he had previously believed. Gumball appeared frightened out of his mind by the vampire, so Marshall-lee dragged him over to the operating table and sat him up against it before backing away. Gumball's eyes flickered to the door, but he knew it was pointless. Between him and freedom was an extraordinarily pissed off vampire with no morality issues around murder. He'd be lucky if there was anything left for them to bury.

' Okay. Okay, I'll tell you what happened. I'm so sorry.' Marshall-lee growled impatiently as Gumball put his head in his hands, trying to quieten his sobbing.  
' Seriously Gumbutt, you're lucky you're not writhing in a pool of blood already. Hurry up or I may decide I don't need an explanation.' Marshall-lee said grimly, and the prince held his hands up as if that would help protect him.  
' Okay! Please don't hurt me.'  
' I've got plenty of reason to. Did you listen to Fionna when she said that to you last night?' Marshall-lee replied curtly, barely managing to rein his anger in. Gumball looked up at him, his face still wet with tears and his eyes open and regretful.  
' She didn't.'


	4. Chapter 4

Marshall-lee was on top of the prince again in a second, and he jerked Gumball's face up to his till they were nose-to nose, before wrenching his free hand back behind him in the air and holding the tightly curled fist aloft.  
' You better not give me some lousy shit about ' She wanted me to do it' You arrogant prick!' When Gumball hesitated, Marshall-lee lost his temper completely and slammed his fist into Gumball's eye socket, hearing a satisfying crunch as his knuckles connected with the bone. Prince Gumball screeched in pain and Marshall-lee hit him again in the mouth, drawing back to strike again before realising that if the bastard was knocked out/dead ( He couldn't have cared less whether Gumball survived at that moment) he'd never know what exactly had happened to Fionna.  
Gumball whimpered, his broken eye beginning to swell and turn purple, tears leaking out awkwardly.

' You better start talking now, assbag. Don't leave anything out or I'm gonna smack you into next century, then rip your testicles off when you get there.' Prince Gumball squinted up at him, slumped brokenly against the side of the operating table. As Marshall-lee backed away from him again, he began to talk.

* * *

' So Gumball, what's this machine thingy do again?' Prince Gumball guided Fionna over to the operating table and instructed her to lie down, before rolling up her sleeves and attaching wires leading back to various monitors to her forearms.  
' I'm going to try and isolate the part of your brain that controls emotions, and see how you react to various stimulus while having powerful, overwhelming feelings.' Fionna blinked at the prince as he pulled off her bunny hat and attached some EEG wires to her temples. Gumball was doing his best to remain objective, but he couldn't help but be distracted by how beautiful Fionna looked with her hair down. Of course it was hideously impractical, but it really did make her look gorgeous.  
Wait, wrong lead. Damn.

'Uhm, In english please. Like, Fionna english, not P-balls english.' Prince Gumball laughed as he walked back to his computer and typed a few things in, then returned to the table and calmed Fionna as he put an IV drip in the inside of her elbow, feeding her the chemicals he was going to use to alter her emotions.  
' I'm going to make you feel a certain way, and then see if that'll affect the way you react to things.'

Gumball picked up one last wire and blushed uncomfortably.  
' F- Fionna, this one needs to go on the side of your ribs. I'll let you put it on.' He gestured to where she needed to put it on, then turned around and quickly walked back to the computer as Fionna put the wire up her shirt.  
' Is this right, Gumball?' Fionna asked, and Gumball looked up from his computer and somehow managed to maintain a neutral expression as Fionna held her shirt up, showing the pad where she had stuck the sensor to her skin underneath her bra. It was a little off to the left, but it didn't matter that much. Jeez, put your clothes back on Fionna!

' Yes, that's fine. Now you just lie down while I power everything up.' Gumball said, slightly flustered but otherwise still a man of method. Fionna wasn't a little girl anymore, even though she still acted like one, but Gumball didn't know whether he should say anything to her about it. On one hand, she could take it badly and accuse him of being a pervert, on the other she could take it well and be a little less.. free. Or she could take it very well and be very free indeed. Wait, focus!

' Okay, I'm about to isolate the limbic system, Fionna. You'll feel like you don't care about anything for a few moments before I input an emotion, okay? If it hurts or anything, say something and I'll shut it off.' Fionna nodded in response and Gumball typed the command in, sending a shock through the wires attached to her head. Fionna squeaked, going completely rigid for a second, before falling slack, her face void of life. Gumball glanced at her life signs and was satisfied to see her heart still going strong. It had worked! Okay, next part, manipulate her emotions. Gumball set the machine to cycle through a predetermined list of emotions and walked over to Fionna after picking up a bunch of flip cards and a small remote control.  
' Okay Fionna, how do you feel right now?' After a few seconds, Fionna's eyes snapped open and she smiled at the prince.  
' Really, really happy! Like omigob, this is so awesome! Is your machine doing this, cause if it is then I love it! I love everything! I love you, Gumball!' Gumball cleared his throat, reminding himself that euphoria, the first emotion on the list, often made everything seem much better than it actually was.  
' Okay, you see the Ice Queen freezing the treehouse. What do you do?' Gumball said, holding up a photo of Ice Queen doing exactly what he had described. Fionna looked at the picture then smiled.  
' I'd go play in the snow! It'd be fun.' Gumball pressed a button on the remote and Fionna spasmed, her eyes snapping shut before slowly opening again.  
' Now how do you feel?' Gumball said, already having forgotten what was on the list. These were very interesting results. He was actually a little surprised at how effective the technique was.

Fionna's eyes filled with tears and she started to cry. Yikes.  
' I feel like... l-like somebody just died or something! like I did when Marshall-lee laughed in my face and told me I was j-just a little girl... Uh, I was so sad! How could he say that?' Gumball was irked by the mention of the vampire king, and the way Fionna seemed to be describing their relationship. She actually cared about Marshall's opinion.  
' Focus, Fionna. Now what would you do?' He said, shaking the picture card. Fionna looked at it for a second the burst into a fresh wave of tears. '  
All m-my stuff would be all covered in ice and snow! It'd take ages to c-clean up! Lousy Ice queen...'

* * *

'Gumball, stop avoiding the question. You were doing an experiment on Fionna- a really weird one I might add, what was the point even?- So how did it go from experimenting to experimenting?' Marshall-lee interrupted, his arms folded as he glared balefully at the prince. Prince Gumball looked up at the vampire, un-damaged eye wide, seeming to have just realised something.  
' Oh my g- I didn't ask if she was okay! Is she okay? I mean, you've found her or you wouldn't be trying to kill me but i-is she alright?' Gumball asked, pleading with the vampire. Marshall-lee had no sympathy for him, but there was no point in telling him Fionna was dead or something.  
' No, she's not alright. Not by a long shot. But she is alive, though barely. No thanks to you.' Gumball groaned weakly and put his head in his hands. Marshall-lee watched him suffer in an almost voyeuristic manner. He deserved it.  
' Skip to the part where for some reason you decide that what you did was a good idea.' Gumball took a shaky breath and began talking through his fingers.  
' The machine malfunctioned. I don't know how...'

* * *

Gumball clicked the button on his remote again and Fionna went slack, her eyes sliding shut, before they snapped open and she shrieked, the purest look of terror on her face. Gumball jumped back in fright as she twitched on the table, screaming and screaming. Oh Gob, what had gone wrong? This test was risky to say the least, if he messed up he could do serious damage to her mental health.  
Panicking, he ran back to the computer and frantically clicked for it to give her a sedative of some kind, anything to calm her down. He ran back to her side and shook her arm frantically as she fell slack again. She had made herself so vulnerable for him, and he had hurt her. Oh no...

Fionna's eyes slowly slid open about halfway and she stared up at Gumball through her eyelashes. The intention behind the gaze sent an uncomfortable, if enjoyable shock through Gumball, the bolt of heat pooling somewhere rather below his stomach.  
She stretched, twisting her hips from side to side and arching her back up off of the operating table, her hands running down her neck and along her body. Gumball watched in mute captivation. What exactly had he just given her?

Somehow he managed to tear his eyes off of Fionna's form and run back to the computer. Testosterone and Diazepam? Diazepam was recognisable, but what the hell was Testosterone? He noticed that the emotion had clicked over to euphoria again, and wondered if her current, er- state was to do with the combination of the drugs and the feel-good hormones the computer was currently inducing.

Gumball turned back to Fionna and tried to ignore the sensation that jerked through his lower body as he saw her sprawled across the table, her skirt ridden almost all the way up her thighs as she twisted, staring at him.  
'... Gumball?'  
He walked back over to the table. Gob, she was so bloody tempting. But it was just the drugs talking, right? Hard to say. Chemicals had a habit of freeing the mind as well as changing it.  
' Fionna, you're okay, I'm going to stop testing you now.' Fionna didn't seem to particularly care, her eyes trained on the roof.  
' Kay. I just feel so... Mm..' She stretched out a hand and brushed her fingers along the prince's cheek before letting her palm fall onto his chest, playing with the lapels on his labcoat. Gumball stood stock still, desperately trying to fight against what every pore in his body was screaming for him to do.  
Fionna drew her hand back and clumsily rolled up her shirt, exposing even more of her flesh as she gestured vaguely to the sensor taped to her side.  
' Can you take.. take it off? I don't remember how.' At the sight of this beautiful, vulnerable girl inviting him to touch her, Gumball swallowed nervously and stepped forward, his fingers trembling as he gently tore the sensor off of her skin, his hands lingering on her ribcage.

Fionna didn't appear to mind the contact and showed no sign of protest when he climbed on top of her, straddling her thighs. Gumball rolled her shirt upwards and leaned forward, picking Fionna up off of the table and undoing her bra. Fionna hung limply in his arms, too zonked out on drugs to notice what he was doing and Gumball too frustrated and distracted to care. He rubbed his cheek against her breasts, starting to pant heavily as his pushed her skirt even higher up so that it was gathered around her hips.  
' Gumball? What.. w-what are..' Fionna murmured, only a hint of alarm in the weak words that he chose to ignore. He wanted this.  
' It's okay Fionna, it's okay. You can trust me. It's... Oh... Oh, Fionna...'

Fionna dragged herself from her stupor to find something heavy pressing down on top of her body. She could feel some sort of liquid coating the inside of her thighs but it wasn't unpleasant. As the mist lifted even further though, she began to feel an uncomfortable ache in her lower abdomen, and a stabbing pain in her groin. She blinked up at a pink haze above her and recognised it as the flushed, breathless face of Prince Gumball slowly coming into focus.  
' G-Gumball?' Fionna realised it was his weight she could feel bearing down on her.  
Gumball blinked at her and swallowed, shifting slightly and Fionna cried out, a new shard of pain lancing through her.  
' Gumball, what are you- Why- Get off me!' Prince Gumball tightened his arms around her waist, trying to quieten her.  
' Shh, it's okay Fionna!' Fionna continued to struggle, eventually succeeding in heaving the man off of her, gritting her teeth as the loss of his presence made the throbbing pain in her gut worsen. Gumball landed heavily on the floor and looked up in shock as Fionna shrieked in pain when she sat up, her hands going to her stomach.

' Are you- Did I hurt you?' Gumball said incredulously, before noticing the blood on Fionna's legs. Fionna followed his gaze and looked at the red substance spattered on her skin and skirt, before staring at the prince in horror.  
' Why did you.. What have you done to me, Gumball?!' Fionna pulled herself up off of the operating table painfully, backing away from the prince. She tripped and fell backwards, realising that her panties had become tangled around her ankles. Gumball tried to crawl towards her, but Fionna scrambled away from him, kicking off the obstructing material.  
' Fionna, I didn't know! I didn't know that was hurting you! I didn't mean to, I swear!'

Fionna shook her head at him in fear, pulling herself up on a set of shelves. Gumball stood up and tried to get closer to her but Fionna dragged a bunch of books off of one of the shelves and started throwing them at him. She managed to get onto the side of the room where the door was as he attempted to dodge her projectiles.  
' Fionna wait, please! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to! I didn't mean to hurt you!' But she was already gone, sprinting out of the door, stumbling from the bewildering pain.  
Gumball heard her footsteps tapping on the staircase when he poked his head through the door way and quickly ran over to the window on the other side of the laboratory, doing up his pants as he went. He leaned out of the window as he saw Fionna's figure appear in a bright triangle of light spilling from the open back door, heading directly for the woods.  
' I'm sorry, Fionna! Please come back! I'm sorry!'

* * *

' I didn't mean to, I'm so sorry Fionna, I didn't know..' Gumball sobbed deliriously, clawing at his face as he cowered against the table where he had performed the incomprehensible act.  
Marshall-lee stared at the prince mutely. He actually appeared to regret what he did, but this guy was manipulative, and it could all just be an act to garner him some sympathy. He understood now, but he had nothing but contempt for the man Gumball had proven to be.

' What do you mean you didn't know?' Marshall-lee demanded after a few moments, kneeling down in front of Gumball and grabbing his shoulders, shaking the prince back to reality. Gumball blinked at him as tears streamed down his cheeks.  
' I-I didn't know that it would hurt her. I thought she- with the drugs it would... I didn't know. She was so- The euphoria made her act like.. and she didn't try to stop me. I thought... Somehow I thought she wanted me to.' Marshall-lee snorted disgustedly, throwing the prince back against the table as he stood up. Gumball lay against it like a ragdoll, having no motivation to even try to stop whatever the vampire was going to do to him.  
' You're weak and delusional, Bartholomew. She had no idea what was going on, and she still has no clue. She doesn't know that what you did was supposed to be an act of love. You've scarred her for life, fuckface. She's only fifteen, for grob's sake!' Marshall spat, baring his fangs at the pink man menacingly. Gumball looked up at him tiredly, the hollowness he was feeling inside radiating from his person.  
' Are you going to kill me, Marshall?'

**Author's note: Thanks very much to jay the fangirl for the review! I'm glad you liked it! So yeah, now you guys all know who's to blame. What do you think Marshall should do? Should he kill Gumball? Or should he let him live? And which is more merciful?**


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's note: Thanks so much to everyone who has reviewed and followed this story :) I know it's slow going but as some of you might've noticed I have several ongoing stories right now, and that's only on this site! I hope you enjoy3**

**-WRA**

For a moment, the vampire considered it.

A flick of the wrist, a puncture in the neck and his spine would be broken with his blood draining out onto the floor, magenta liquid bubbling between his lips as he gasped out his dying breath. It was revenge alright. But Gumball would have welcomed it. He knew how badly he had screwed up, and he wanted a way out. Also, something within Marshall disagreed with murdering his former best friend.

Besides, everybody knows how revenge is best served.

' No. I'm not gonna kill you.'

Gumball glanced up at Marshall-lee, surprised. The vampire wouldn't sympathize with him, he knew that much, so why the hell..

' Why not?'

' Because you want me to. That's not a punishment, it's a gift. I'm not helping you escape her without trying to make your wrongs right. You're gonna pay for this everyday when you look at her face and realise that she will never trust you again. You'll pay for it when she shies away from you, afraid. You'll pay for it when you see her in my arms instead of yours, because I'll be the only man in Aaa she'll let come near her. You're gonna pay for what you did a thousand times over and you'll never even come close to what you owe her. Because you'll never be able to pay back her innocence.'

Marshall-lee took a step forward then crouched down, staring straight at the prince. Gumball shivered and cringed away from the vampire's midnight black eyes, fury glowing ruby red in the center.

' And if you ever- _ever_- touch her again, I will tear out your intestines and use them to make your noose, before throwing you off of the window ledge of this laboratory. Got it?' He said quietly, the soft hiss far more menacing then anything he had spoken earlier. Prince Gumball nodded, rooted to the spot in fear. Marshall-lee then drew back his fist and delivered a lightening fast punch to the prince's temple, knocking him out a moments contemplation where he deliberated between what was reasonable and what was satisfying, he brought his foot down roughly on Gumball's bent knee, feeling like he should wince but instead purring at the sound of splintering bone and tearing muscle. Gumwad was gonna have a hell of a headache when he came to, immediately followed by headfucking pain and a limp that would last a lifetime.

Good.

Marshall nodded in perverse satisfaction at his handiwork before flying out of the same window he had just threatened to hang the Prince of the Candy Kingdom from.

As he flew back towards the treehouse, he mentally reveiwed every iota of information Gumball had given him. Yes, he understood why the spineless idiot had taken advantage of her. She had been so messed up with all the stimulation that she had acted like she wanted it. Wanted it bad, judging by Gumbutt's description. But he _knew_ that she had no clue what she was doing. He was the one that had drugged her up in the first place. He had nothing that took the responsibilty or the guilt away from him, yet Marshall knew he would spend every night of forever miserably trying to convince himself otherwise.

He was more worried about Fionna now. After what had happened to her, judging by the blood, something had been damaged. And if it was even at all possible, she could be pregnant. And that was only the physical injuries. How long would it take for her to recover mentally? It wasn't like there was much he could do for her either. She had been a virgin, and the first time would hurt even if it was gentle and loving. Actually, that was something else that was bugging him, though he'd be damned if he ever admitted it. Stupid mongrel had stolen Fionna's first from him. ( Some how, he had always assumed that he was the only male in Aaa with any kind of sexual prowess, considering if she ever tried that with Flame dork she'd be burned to a crisp from the inside out. Guy probably jizzed lava.)

Gumball had be so moronically focused on his own bloody sex drive that he had essentially treated Fionna as his personal whore, without any regard for how she might feel. He had used her and hurt her, and somehow didn't think that he should be responsible because he was ignorant?

Marshall-lee could feel a white noise ringing in the back of his head, and he had half a mind to make good on his threat from earlier, or possibly break his other knee and a couple of ribs into the bargain. But Fionna needed him now, she needed care and affection. Not revenge.

But how the hell was he supposed to give her that when he couldn't fucking touch her without making her remember that bastard? He calmed himself, feeling the noise and the white heat that accompanied it fade slowly. The fury was replaced quickly by unadulterated anxiety. He knew how to deal with bad guys. After all, he had been dealt with in similar ways many times, though never for a crime that was not only illegal but morally screwed- just illegal ones. But he had no clue how to deal with the victim.

' Fionna?' Marshall-lee called nervously as he drifted back inside the treehouse, then cleared his throat. Yelling at Gumball hadn't done his vocal chords any favours. The treehouse seemed deathly silent, until a small, cracked sob broke through. Instantly, as if her tears were a hook that had latched themselves onto his heart, Marshall-lee was drawn towards the noise and flew into Fionna's room. She was sitting up on her bed, Cake asleep at her feet. Her hair was messy and crumpled, her eyes looked sore and red and there were still tears flowing silently down her cheeks. It looked like she was trying to suppress the pain, in order not to wake Cake. Marshall couldn't believe that after everything that had just happened to her, she still had the grace not to wake up her cat with her crying. This girl was a fucking miracle.

Fionna appeared mildly surprised to see him there, and she frantically pawed at the droplets sliding down her cheeks.

' Um, I... Marshall, I was- Uh..' Marshall-lee shushed her and drifted over to the bed, floating awkwardly a few feet away from her. Even though he understood now, having her shy away from him was still unpleasant at best, and besides she had gone through enough emotional turmoil in the last day and a half.

' Fi, you were asleep when I left. What happened?' He asked quietly. He'd never admit it, but seeing her cry always shocked him, just because she was so friggin' tough.

' I... I-I had a nightmare.' She hiccuped, before desperately clasping her hands over her mouth as her shoulders shook, anxious eyes fixed on her cat. Cake rolled over and stretched, but didn't wake up.

Marshall-lee could literally feel himself ache as he watched her with his want to pull her into his arms. The intensity of it surprised himself a little. He had always thought that he was at least content with their relationship as it was now, because he had never really needed connections like that before. Besides, Ashley had kinda destroyed his faith in relationships as a whole. He just hadn't thought he wanted what they didn't have that badly. But watching her, frightened blue eyes filled with tears at the horror of her dreams, pushed past his distancing front and made him want to help, and made him want her to want his help. That was rare. He was usually fine with indifference, even towards a girl he could see himself loving.

' Fionna, I- Was it about... Him?' He questioned uncertainly, as disturbed by his own reaction as he was by hers. He wasn't used to feeling this helpless, nor being bothered by it, and he dislked both sensations deeply.

Fionna stared at him mutely for a few moments, before her eyes filled with fresh tears, and she stared at him as she nodded, her entire body wracked with the sobs she suppressed underneath her fingers. Marshall found that he literally could not take being so distant anymore- Jeez, how the hell had he been like this for a fucking millenia?- and seeing as he didn't know any other way to make her feel better, he reached for her.

Fionna cringed away from him automatically, and the hurt immediately bloomed in his chest, but he slid his arms around her shoulders and under her knees anyway. He gently picked her up off of the bed, taking one of the blankets with her and carried her down the ladder and over to their puffy purple couch. Fionna remained rigid as he carried her, although Marshall could sense the conflict she was experiencing. Her mind wanted the comfort, but her body rejected it.

' Fionna, stop thinking about who I am, and just accept that I'm here. And I won't let that asshole come between us.' Even as he said the words he winced at how cliche and ridiculous they sounded, but he was thinking on the fly here, and resorting to bad TV lines is usually what happened when he was exhausted and confused and angry and worried and a billion other things. _Give me a break_, He sighed mentally. Fionna looked up at him, her hand and mouth trembling as she tried to stop herself from crying.

' Talk to me. What did you dream about, just say whatever you want to say.' He whispered, sinking down into the couch cushions and curling her up on his lap, his arms wrapping protectively around her slight form and cradling her to his chest. Fionna gulped on her tears as he rocked her back and forth, willing for her to work with him. Slowly, she let her hand fall from her mouth and instead grabbed the collar of his shirt, tugging on the fabric like a lifeline.

' I dreamed that I was in a wedding dress. And I was so happy, because I was going to marry somebody who I never though would like me how I wished he would. And then, when I walked up to the altar, the guy who was standing there, the guy I wanted he- he changed, and then the dress started turning red, blood red, and the crowd started s-screaming.' Fionna paused for a second, panting slightly, and Marshall was about to tell her to stop but she continued just before the words left his lips.

' Then he t-tackled me, and it was like I was trapped in my own head, and I wanted to scream and yell and push him off but I couldn't, I j-just couldn't move then he tore off the dress and- and-...' Marshall-lee quickly shushed her, but was unable to stop the small nugget of gratification from settling into his stomach when she buried her face into the side of his neck. Jeez, she was crying her guts out and all he could think was that he could touch her again? Good gob, he was hopeless.

' It's okay, I know, I know. You don't have to say anything, I know. You're safe, I'm here.' He murmured, feeling inadequate. He could usually spin words like a pro, but he didn't have the aid of a guitar or an emotional defense if he screwed up. If he got this wrong, Fionna would be hurt and so would he, weirdly enough.

' Fionna, I went after him. I had a feeling.' Fionna looked back up at Marshall in bewilderment, her eyes looking too large for her hollow features.

' You went after him on a feeling?'

' Yeah, well last time I didn't trust myself I ended up missing you, so I'm not going to do that again. I made him tell me everything.' Fionna pressed her lips together in a thin line.

' Then what?'

' Then... Then I knocked him out and broke his knee.' He said sheepishly, worried at her reaction. She looked almost concerned for the dickface. He hadn't expected that.

' Why didn't you kill him?' She asked, studying Marshall-lee unfathomably. Marshall-lee was highly disoriented by this change in temperament and focused on trying to coherently phrase his thought processes.

' Because that's too good for him. He should grovel at you feet for the rest of his fucking life for what he did to you, not die and escape from having to apologise. His life is pretty much the same as my death, which is better than he deserves, but I also reckoned that you probably wouldn't want him dead...?' He said, posing his last remark as a question. Fionna continued to stare at him for a moment, and Marshall suddenly recognised that she was suppressing fear. She was afraid of him.

' Fionna?' He said in alarm, and she shook her head, clinging to him in an entirely reassuring way. She wasn't going to make him leave. His actions hadn't backfired.

' I just.. I.. He said he was sorry, but I was scared and he hurt me and I'm still scared of him, but I didn't want him to be _dead_. I mean, he has the candy kingdom to run and-' At this a small flame of rage blazed inside the vampire once again and her growled, silencing the human.

' Fionna, I don't give a fuck about the candy kingdom, all I care about is you. That bastard desrves to be cursed with immortality then run through with a spiked spear and set on fire for all of eternity. His responsibilties and stature be damned, he hurt you all because he wanted to get some. I will not let anybody treat you like that .' Marshall suddenly faltered, the fire sputtering out as quickly as it had started and he eyed the girl curled on his lap apprehensively, worried that his anger might have frightened her again. There was fear in her expression, but also wonder. What did he do?

" All you care about is.. me?" she said, looking at him in amazed disbelief. Marshall-lee blushed. Yeah, that might've slipped out. But perhaps it was a good thing, maybe he could distract her from all the pain and uncertainty she was dealing with.

' But.. you said I was just a little girl.' Marshall-lee found himself desperately wanting to run and hide from the situation, and knowing that he couldn't, and cursing himself for not just holding his damned tongue.

' I, um.. You.. mean a lot to me, Fi. Just... That was ages ago, and you were still a little girl.' he said quickly, feeling intensly exposed and hating every second.

' Marshall, that was last year. What changed since then?'

' You did.' Fionna appeared confused by the sentiment then stiffened as if shocked when Marshall's forearm brushed a small piece of her back where the skin had become exposed. She instantly struggled, before remembering that she was fine and had nothing to worry about and guiltily glanced at the vampire. His face remained carefully neutral, but Fionna could see in how his eyes were narrowed how much the tiny gesture wounded him. He had done so much for her, and she reacted by freaking out. This was Marshall, for grob's sake.

' I'm sorry, it- I can't-'

' I know. I'm just still pissed that this is all Gumbutt's fault and I can't do shit about it.' Fionna inhaled sharply at his name, then contemplated the vampire guardedly. She needed to know what he had done to her. And why.

' What did he do to me, Marshall? Because I don't remem- I c-can't-' Fionna appeared on the verge of tears again, and Marshall-lee instantly tightened his arms around her, rocking her back and forth and humming soothingly. Fionna's first reaction was to cringe away, but she suppressed it and instead searched for the comfort she would find in the warmth and pressure, the safety of it. Eventually, she found the contrast between how intimate this felt and how cold her drug-hazed memories seemed, one of the only details she could recall. Clinical and metallic. With that thought firmly set in her mind, she allowed his embrace and finally, finally found what she had needed.


End file.
